Did U.S. Mainstream Media Hype Nuclear Panic?

Updated, March 19, 2011:
On March 18, the same day that the New York Times published some ominous headlines, Reuters published two stories indicating that Japan’s nuclear threat is less worrisome than was portrayed by the New York Times.

New Energy Times did not agree with the basis for the New York Times’  dramatic headlines because there was no evidence of a “plume,” nor was there any published account of quantitative or qualitative data on airborne radioactive materials in transit to the West coast.

Original Post, March 18, 2011:

March 18, 2011 – New York Times: Japan Raises Nuclear Crisis Warning Level Retroactively

March 18, 2011 – Reuters: Few Radioactive Particles On U.S. West Coast: Sources

March 18, 2011 – Reuters: Special Report: Radiation fears may be greatly exaggerated

March 17, 2001 – New Energy Times: Japan Reactors: What Plume?

March 17, 2011 – New Energy Times: Plume: What, How Much, Where and When?

March 17, 2011 – New Energy Times: Radioactive Particulate?

March 16, 2011 – New York Times: U.S. Calls Radiation ‘Extremely High;’ Sees Japan Nuclear Crisis Worsening

Image from New York Times story: “Evacuees receiving radiation scans in Nihonmatsu, Japan. Americans were advised by their embassy to evacuate a radius of 50 miles from the Fukushima plant.” Go Takayama/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images